


The Juncture

by Jacqueline_64



Series: ROLLER COASTER [3]
Category: Starsky & Hutch
Genre: Chaos, Episode: s04e22 Sweet Revenge, Friendship, Gen, Injury, Missing Scenes, Not Beta Read, Shock, Trauma, Uncertainty, cardiac arrest - Freeform, hopelessness, life threatening
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:01:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23972689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jacqueline_64/pseuds/Jacqueline_64
Summary: A look into Dobey and Huggy's perspective in the chaos right after the assassination attempt by Gunther's goons on Starsky.
Series: ROLLER COASTER [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1728343
Kudos: 8





	The Juncture

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. Although not a part of my post Sweet Revenge series or Gunther Sessions series, I do use those series as point of reference for this story, by which I mean that any literary liberties (such as the explanation why Starsky is 32 in 1979 – see notes on The Journey; the length of the surgery on Starsky, the length of his coma – see The Post Gunther Sessions); the vow Hutch had made to his partner (in case of life threatening injuries – see Welcome Home) are the same as in the stories in those 2 series. I got the idea for this story from watching Sweet Revenge in detail recently, focusing on Dobey and Huggy.  
> 2\. The medical equipment to which Starsky was hooked up in Sweet Revenge in the first scene after the shooting was laughable. Many fans with a medical background have mentioned this through the decades. So, for all my SR related stories and series, I’d like all readers to imagine a far more realistic set-up of (life saving/sustaining) equipment and machines that Starsky is hooked up to, like a ventilator, more IV’s and monitors. Also, imagine a far more realistic appearance of the area of his body that was injured: tubes, drains, bandages, tapes, incissions/stitches all that was missing from SR’s hospital scenes.  
> 3\. I always thought the nameless doctor who treated Starsky on Sweet Revenge came across as very kind, so in my imagination he became the Dr Jamison in my SR related stories and series.  
> 4\. In the episode Sweet Revenge during Starsky’s cardiac arrest, the clock behind Dobey and Huggy in the hallway shows the time as a few minutes before 12 o’clock (noon, I presume), while the hands on the doctor’s watch show 11:40 AM. I did not check if there were any clocks shown in the episode before I wrote my earlier SR related stories and series, so in my Post Gunther Sessions series, I have the time for Starsky’s cardiac arrest at 3:21 PM and have the resuscitation efforts last for 14 minutes. Therefore, in this story, I will stick to the literary liberty I took in that series, so 3:21 PM is the time of Starsky’s cardiac arrest; ignoring the out of sync clocks in the episode.  
> 5\. Literary liberty: in the scene when Hutch finds out Jenny Brown’s no longer in custody, Dobey refers to the attack on Hutch in the hospital’s garage as having taken place “last night”. That obviously clashes with the timeline in my SR related stories and series (The Post Sweet Revenge series, The Post Gunther Sessions series, The Pillars, The Vow), so I’m sticking with my own timeline, hence the slightly changed lines from the episode in this story.  
> 6\. The last part of this story is the last part of my 2003 story Keeping Vigil (https://archiveofourown.org/works/20495570). I intentionally fit the stories together, although Keeping Vigil is obviously a stand alone story.

#  **ROLLER COASTER**

The most used disclaimer:   
The TV show "Starsky and Hutch", and the characters from it   
are the property of the persons who hold the copyrights   
and other legal rights to them.   
This story is a work of fiction, written for pleasure only   
and not for profit. It is not intended, in any way,   
to infringe on these preexisting copyrights.

## THE JUNCTURE

Jacqueline©2020-05-02

**May 16, 1979 - 12:55 PM**

Huggy and Captain Dobey had not heard from Hutch again after he’d abruptly ended the conversation by police transmitter. Dobey was bringing more structure into the chaos at his make-shift post at Memorial, while Huggy alternated between observing Dobey at work and standing in front of Starsky’s ICU room.

Now, after having watched how nurses checked the IV’s and monitors Starsky was hooked up to, Huggy looked at the clock in the hallway. He felt he needed a one on one with Dobey.

Back at the make-shift post, Huggy was pleased to find Dobey there alone. So, he sat down opposite the Captain and opened the conversation.

“Captain, can we talk for a minute?”

Dobey seemed to wake up from a momentary moment of absence, cleared his throat and replied,  
“Sure, Huggy, what’s up?”

“Captain ….. I wanna talk to you about Hutch. I mean ….. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but …. I’ve never before known him to ….. sort of ….. give up on Starsky ….. you know?”

“What do you mean, Huggy?”

“What I mean is ….. I think that Hutch is afraid that …. May even think for real that ….. Starsky’s not going to make it ….” Huggy let the words linger.

Dobey’s brow knotted together and he let out a deep sigh before responding in a morose tone,  
“Well, Huggy ….. to tell you the truth ….. the doctors are not giving us a lot of hope ….”

“I know, Captain, but still …. They’ve been through lots of life and death situations before and they never gave up ….. Now it’s almost like Hutch truly doesn’t believe that Starsky will make it this time ….”

Dobey remained silent. Despite his belief in his Creator, even he had a hopeless feeling in the pit of his stomach that all the prayers, from himself and Edith, might not be enough for Starsky this time around.

Huggy continued,  
“Captain …. When I had that talk with him this morning, about calling Starsky’s mother? I don’t know how many times he said the same thing over and over …. That Starsky’s going to die. And even in the elevator down to the garage he said it again…….. I think he’s lost hope and that he just keeps telling himself that he’s gonna lose Starsky, so that he can soften the blow when it really happens, you know?”

Dobey studied Huggy’s face and eyes closely.  
“You know? I think you’re right. That’s very observant of you, Huggy,”. Dobey looked at the young man opposite him a moment longer, before adding,  
“You and I ….. we know these boys pretty well…… I think Hutch is running on empty … not just now, but ever since Starsky was shot. Apart, they’re pretty damn good, but together they’re aces. And now Hutch is not just on his own….. but he isn’t himself … and that’s not where and how I want him to be ….. he’s a loose cannon, yet if I’d pull him off the case … well, I don’t think I need to tell you what I’m afraid of he’d do then!”

“He might just quit the force and go after them like a desperado,” Huggy answered.

“Right on.”  
With a nod of his head towards the transmitter in front of him, Dobey said,  
“It’s been almost 30 minutes since he had that incident down in the garage, but he turned off his transmitter so God knows what he’s up to now!” He sighed before continuing,  
“Huggy, once we get hold of him again, I need another favor from you.”

“Just name it, Captain,” Huggy replied.

“I want you to convince him to go home, get some rest ….. clear his head, before he goes on. If he goes on like this, without sleep …. purely on adrenaline and emotion, I fear I may lose more than just one of my best team…… You want to help me?”

“Yes Captain, of course.”

“Good. Thank you Huggy …. Uhm, I mean … I will ask the hospital to give permission to let you stay with Starsky …. or at least at the hospital ….. overnight ….. I hope you understood what I ….”

“No problem, Captain …. That’s the advantage of being my own boss,” Huggy smiled at Dobey.

Dobey returned Huggy’s smile with a curt nod of his head, before finding his way to the nurses’ desk.

**May 16, 1979 - 2:25 PM**

About twenty five and one half hours since Starsky was gunned down, both Dobey and Huggy found themselves in a strange state of guarded optimism regarding Starsky’s fate.

Dobey had had a brief exchange with Dr Jamison at the nurses’ desk, while asking for permission for special clearance for Huggy.

Jamison had been very cautious in his choice of words, but had hinted at the fact that the longer a crisis failed to materialize, the more likely it would not occur. Starsky may have been in a coma since surgery ended almost fourteen and a half hours ago, but he was still alive and each hour – no, each minute longer that he managed to breathe, increased his chances for survival.

Dobey had spent most of his time co-ordinating the investigation into the murder of the resident, earlier this morning, as well as the attack on Hutch in the hospital’s garage. So far, though, not he, or anybody at the station had been able to get into contact with Hutch. Not even Huggy, who had made some calls around town, had succeeded in tracking him down.

“Put me through to Chief Ryan’s office …. Thank you,” Dobey told the desk officer on duty.

“Ryan …. What’s new, Harold?” he could hear the chief’s voice on the other end of the line.

“Well, as far as Starsky’s concerned, so far so good. He’s still alive, but not yet out of the coma,” he began.

“Good to hear ….. How about the murder of the resident this morning?”

“I’ve put a team on that, sir. Horowitz is in the lead on that. But uhm ….. they uh, they’ve tried again, sir,” Dobey continued, a bit hesitantly.

“Who did? You mean, kill Starsky? Where? Again at the hospital?” Ryan’s voice shot up with each word.

“Probably the same culprits, chief. This time they didn’t get farther than the garage where Hutchinson managed to stop them,”

“Hutchinson? Don’t tell me he’s still on the case, Harold! Tell me he was just visiting his partner!” Ryan replied, a tad irritated now.

Dobey waited a beat and started his answer at the same time that Ryan spoke again,  
“Chief, the reason …. I’m sorry chief, but the reason I did not take him off the case was that he’s liable to give me his badge and turn vigilante …. I want to keep an eye on him, keep him in the fold,” he explained.

“Oh, that’s always great to hear, Harold, that a cop goes off the rails after a traumatic experience and starts walking the streets in a hyper state …. An armed cop, at that!” Ryan’s voice dripped with anger and sarcasm,  
“If you can’t take him off the case, maybe I should have a word with him. Put him on the phone!” Ryan demanded.

When no immediate reply followed, Ryan asked  
“Harold? Put Hutchinson on the phone!”

Hesitantly, Dobey replied,  
“He’s uh …. He’s not here right now, chief,”

“Well, you’ve set up a post there, tell him to call in. Send him to my office,” Ryan snapped.

“I, uh, yes, will do, sir,” Dobey answered, before breaking off the call. He got his handkerchief out of his pocket to whipe his sweaty brow, then sat back down and picked up the microphone to try and reach Hutch.

**May 16, 1979 - 3:21 PM**

Dobey had tried in vain to hunt down Hutch and fatigue was creeping up at him again. He’d tried to call Edith, but she must have been taking her mother to the airport, so after the second time, he put down the phone, got his millionth cup of coffee and sat down in a chair next to Huggy. At first glance, it looked like the informant was going through a magazine, but in reality, he’d dozed off just for a minute, only to wake up when Dobey sat down with a grunt.

Then suddenly there was commotion. Over the PA system a call could be heard, repeatedly, and each time with an increased sense of urgency.

“Code Blue, Station one. Code Blue, Station one.”

It took both Huggy and Dobey a split second before they came to the realization that Station one was in fact ICU room 1; Starsky’s room. They both got up from their chairs and joined the parade of medical personnel and police officers who all marched toward Starsky’s room at a brisk pace.

Once they reached the now familiar window, the scene that unfolded before their eyes, caused to collectively sink the hearts of the spectators. They watched how Dr Jamison effortlessly lifted Starsky’s limp body enough for the nurses to place the board on the bed, needed to stabilize him for CPR.

Just a minute into the crisis, a nurse informed Dobey that Hutch was on the phone. Although he did not want to miss a second of the medical staff’s efforts to save Starsky’s life, Dobey also did not want to miss the first sign of life of the other half of his best team. Back at his temporary post, he picked up the phone.

“Hutch, where are you? Where have you been?” was the first thing he said.

Hutch did not answer his questions; only had one of his own,  
“How’s he doing, Captain?”

“I think you better get down here right away, Hutch,” Dobey replied in a somber tone, then, when he didn’t receive a reply,  
“Hutch?”

But no answer followed, though the line was not dead. Dobey put the phone down and quickly returned to his spot before the window of Starsky’s room. A quick glance at the clock on the wall told him the staff had been working on Starsky for almost 5 minutes now.

Huggy, meanwhile, almost stopped breathing himself, as he took in the efforts to bring his friend back to life with his mouth agape in a mix of disbelief and tension.

Dobey, Huggy and three police officers on duty at the hospital, witnessed with growing fears about the outcome, how Dr Jamison and his staff frantically worked to revive Starsky. So far, though, their efforts went without luck. The sight of the – now bloody again – upper body of Starsky, exposed due to the cutting of the bandages to accommodate the use of the defibrillator, caused a raw sense of hopelessness. Shock after shock with the defibrillator failed to return Starsky’s heart to something resembling a normal heartbeat.

Inside his mind, Dobey spoke to his Creator, to Starsky, to just about anybody he could think of, and pleaded with all his heart, to not take the young man’s life.  
 _Lord, let them succeed. Let them be able to bring him back! It’s too soon …. He’s too young to go now, Lord. ……. Dave, breathe, dammit! You can do it! You’re tough, son, you can make it. You can pull through …. You can pull through …. You’ve done it so many times before. Breathe son, breathe …. Do it for yourself, for your mother, for your partner… for your friends ….. Come on, son …. Do it for me…..Lord, let him breathe!_

Likewise, Huggy’s inner voice was having its own conversation.  
 _Come on, Starsky ….. It’s not your time yet, bro ….. You can’t leave like this ….. No goodbyes is unacceptable …… Come back, bro …… You can do it! God, give him the power, save him! He’s a good guy, God, come on now …. Don’t let him die!_

At 3:35 PM, Jamison instructed his team he would give the defibrillator one last chance before calling Starsky’s TOD. The spectators watched as Jamison placed the paddles on Starsky’s body and pressed the buttons that shocked him one more time.

Time then seemed to stop for a split second as everybody, on both sides of the window of ICU room 1, looked at the heart monitor that, miraculously, showed a heart rhythm again.

It wasn’t until they witnessed the defibrillator being wheeled out of the room, that Dobey and Huggy dared to breathe again. Just as they turned toward each other, Hutch came running down the hallway, only able to stop himself by grabbing onto the post of the door to Starsky’s room, right when Dr Jamison stepped into the hallway.

The three men surrounded the physiatrist, a flicker of hope in their eyes. Jamison himself seemed to be in a state of disbelief when he addressed them with a hint of an amazed smile on his face,  
“He’s alive …… Still not out of it, but I’ll be damned if he isn’t alive!” he told them.

Hutch was unable to respond, his breath wheezing out of control since he had managed the drive to Memorial and run up to Starsky’s room in almost half the time it would normally take.

Huggy, too, took the doctor’s words in silently, but Dobey asked the all important questions.  
“Doc, how ….. how are his chances now? Can this happen again?”

“Well, this **was** his second cardiac arrest in two days ….. to be honest ….. there’s only so much a body can take, even if it’s young and otherwise healthy …. But his normal heart rhythm is restored, all important levels are normal or near normal, which is …. actually … quite unheard of …… To put it simply, nothing that has happened with detective Starsky so far is following a familiar path ….. He’s still critical and he’s still in coma …. But he’s also still alive, which is far more than we could have hoped for when he was brought in yesterday.”

Jamison looked at all three men, before nodding at them and excusing himself.

Dobey, Huggy and Hutch exchanged looks before taking their spot in front of the window again, only to notice the blinds to the room were now shut again, to give the medical staff the opportunity to change Starsky’s bandages.

Dobey studied Hutch’s demeanor, before tentatively asking,  
“So, where did you go, Hutch? After the incident in the garage? I was told you left the suspects down there, cuffed to a car! Bellman thought you were going to brief him on what happened!”

Hutch wasn’t all together pleased to be scolded by Dobey after having almost lost his best friend. But he realized his superior had his own superior breathing down his neck, so he let go of his negativity for now, especially now that Starsky was still alive.  
“I checked out where Jenny Brown lives and uhm, I brought her in …..”

“On what grounds?” Dobey almost yelled the question.

“That guy in the garage, captain, he gave me her name. She’s the one that paid them to do the hit!”

“Hutch, you were gone for about 3 hours since that thing in the garage … Now that was way too long to not have called in to the station, but way too little time to get all the paper work in order for you to be able to arrest her! I told you we should do everything by the book, especially this time! We don’t want to lose the chance of bringing those responsible for almost killing Starsky to justice because of a technicality!!! Don’t cut any damned corners just because you want to avenge yourself, dammit!”

Hutch got ready to blow his top towards Dobey, when Huggy pointed at the window of ICU 1. The nurses had opened the blinds again, and if it were at all possible, it looked like Starsky had been hooked up to even more medical equipment than before his cardiac arrest. The sight of the severely injured detective immediately sobered up the three men in the hallway.

Hutch’s eyes were once more completely glued to his partner behind the glass. Dobey and Huggy exchanged concerned and knowing looks.

In a softer tone now, he addressed the blond detective.  
“Look, Hutch, just walk with me for a moment. We need to talk. Come on, Huggy will keep an eye on Dave.”

Reluctantly, Hutch joined Dobey after one last look at his partner.

**May 16, 1979 - 4:11 PM**

“Take a seat, Hutch,” Dobey began, as he pointed at a chair for Hutch,  
“Look, we’ve got to handle this situation by the book! We cannot afford to miss even a single beat, not one detail, that might cost us our case! The stakes are too high, Huch, you know that. The best thing you can do ….. the best service you can pay Starsky, is to play everything by the book, so that whoever did this to him, will serve his time in full.”

Hutch looked at his superior for a long moment before asking Dobey in a worn out voice,  
“What is it, Captain? Who got to you?”

Dobey feigned to not understand what Hutch was driving at and was just about to speak in tones of denial, but Hutch was ahead of him.

“You got pressure from higher up, Captain?”

Dobey stopped for a moment, before looking Hutch straight in the eyes,  
“Chief Ryan wants me to take you off the case, Hutch. If I’d been able to locate you earlier, I was supposed to send you straight to him, so he could do it himself…….” Dobey ended with a sigh.

Hutch looked at Dobey, first in disbelief, then in acceptance.  
“I’m sorry I let you down, Captain. But I….. I ….. You know I can’t let go of this? How can I …. How can I convince Ryan to let me stay on the case? I mean …. How can he even consider taking me off the case?” Hutch got agitated again,  
“I swear to God, Captain, if chief Ryan takes me off the case, I will …”

“Resign and turn vigilante ….. don’t tell me something I don't already know …. And I’ve told the chief the same thing …..” Dobey finished Hutch’s sentence for him.

“And?” Hutch asked with anticipation.

“And? Nothing! You couldn’t be found, could you?!” Dobey responded with raised voice.

The two men looked at each other in a moment of silence. Then Dobey continued in a determined tone,  
“Look, if you give me your word, and I mean for real, because I’m about to put my whole career on the line for you, that you will do things by the book from now on, I think there might be a way that I can convince chief Ryan to change his mind about your staying on this case…. But I’m serious, Hutch, if you make one wrong move …. You won’t just have chief Ryan to worry about … I just want to make that clear to you…. You understand?!”

With eyes that began to tear up, Hutch nodded his head,  
“You’ve got my word on that, Captain ….. Thank you.”

“All right. Now you go get some rest before you need to be hospitalized yourself…. And get somebody to take care of that,” Dobey said, pointing at the blood stained handkerchief around his detective’s wrist, as he ushered Hutch out of the room.

But Hutch did not leave the hospital. Instead he walked straight back to his partner’s ICU room and took his seat next to the bed, after the cardiac arrest, even further away from Starsky.

Huggy, like when he first arrived at the hospital early this morning, watched the sad scene for a moment, before joining Dobey at the make-shift post.

**May 16, 1979 - 4:19 PM**

“Huggy, I just got clearance for you to stay at the hospital, even during the night. You just need to bring your ID each time you come,” Dobey said as soon as Huggy entered the room.

“Thanks Captain. If you don’t mind, I’d like to go home for a while and make some arrangements and clean up a bit …… Like you, but for entirely different reasons, I didn’t get too much sleep last night…..” Huggy said with an apologetic smile, then – after taking in Dobey’s tired appearance – he continued,  
“Maybe you should go home and get some rest, too, Captain. You look like you could use some.”

“I can’t Huggy. Until his mother arrives from New York, I think we shouldn’t leave Starsky alone. I’m gonna stay.”

“Oh, he won’t be alone, Captain ….. Hutch is right by his bedside ….” Huggy replied.

“What the ….?” Dobey exclaimed,  
“I just sent him home! Dammit, he’s gonna get himself killed by bullet or fatigue, either way if he goes on like this!”

Dobey got up from his chair to go to Starsky’s room, but Huggy stopped him,  
“Just let him sit there for a little bit, Captain ….” He asked Dobey,  
“He needs this …. Just a while longer…. I’ll be back ….. I promise”.

The two men looked at each other and nodded their heads in mutual understanding. Then Huggy left to take care of business.

**May 16, 1979 - 4:59 PM**

“Dobey’s,” the young adult voice on the other end of the line said.

“Cal, it’s your father,” Dobey announced himself rather formally.

“Dad! When are you coming home? Mom and Rosie miss you,” Cal Dobey exclaimed.

“Just your mom and Rosie?”, Dobey teased, as a loving smile transformed his face and cleared the fatigue away in a flash.

“Dad!” his teenage son now whined.

“Can you get your mother on the phone for me?”

“Sure, dad. How is Dave? Is he doing better yet?”

“It’s too soon to tell, I’m afraid …. But so far, so good …. Go get your mother, Cal,” Dobey did not want to disclose too much, afraid of questions he would not be able to answer.

After a brief spell, Edith Dobey picked up the receiver,  
“Harold? Any news?”

Dobey let a deep sigh escape before he could help himself.

“Oh, my Lord … He isn’t ….. Dave didn’t pass away, did he?” Edith asked.

“No, no …… Edith, he’s …… he’s still with us …. Which is why I can’t come home …. Not just yet, anyway,” Dobey reassured his wife.

“But …. How is he, then? No improvement, yet?”

“Honey, …… how shall I put this ….. Dave **did** die this afternoon, but they managed to bring him back,” Dobey told Edith.

“What? How ….. uh, ….. What happened?”

“He had a cardiac arrest …. They had to pull out all the stops …. Worked on him for quite a while…. But he came through it….. I think his doctor was just as surprised as we were,” Dobey ended.

“Oh, my …… Well, praise the Lord ….. But what does this mean, Harold? For him?” Edith asked.

“I’m not sure I understand,” Dobey said.

“I mean, he’s been critically injured, in a coma ….. now another cardiac arrest …. How much …. How will he come out of this?”

Edith’s question already hinted at Starsky’s future. A future Dobey wasn’t sure yet, was even in the books for Starsky.  
“First, we have to wait and see **if** he will come out of this, Edith. He’s hanging on, so far, but the thread is dangerously thin ….. anything can still happen……” Dobey let the words linger before ending his conversation to his wife,  
“So, you’ll understand that I’m going to stay a while longer …. At least until I know it’s safe to leave him here…. You **do** understand, don’t you?”

“Yes…. Yes, I do, Harold. We’ll see you when the time is right,” Edith replied, before saying her goodbyes and hanging up the phone.

Next, Dobey made one other, much harder, call, to Chief Ryan. He played hardball and called in some favors. He and Ryan went back a long way and had had several instances where they hadn’t seen eye to eye. But Dobey trusted his instinct that Ryan would understand why he put so much trust in the men and women under his command. Especially these two men, whom he privately almost paternally referred to as ‘my boys’. Dobey gambled, and won – though perhaps not the first prize, because Ryan told him he would hold Dobey personally accountable, should Hutch go off the rails completely.

Dobey was fully aware he was taking a huge risk, but at the very least, he had won some time. So, after the difficult discussion with Chief Ryan and before going over to Starsky’s ICU room to try and convince Hutch to go home and get some rest, he visited the hospital’s chapel, to say thanks for keeping one of “his” boys alive and the other on the job.

**May 16, 1979 - 6:19 PM**

Dobey had stood in front of the window of ICU room 1 for a few minutes, taking in the same heartbreaking scene as early this morning. Only this time, Hutch was not sitting on a chair in the hallway, but inside the room, separated from his partner by bulky life sustaining machines. All this time, Hutch appeared to be lost in deep thoughts, as he looked through the myriad of tubes and wires at his partner, then at the ceiling or at the floor.

Dobey knew he had to step in, so he walked into the room.  
"Hutch --. Why don't you go home, get some sleep. Wash up -- change. You can't go on like this."

His captain stood in the room. Hutch hadn't even noticed the large man entering.  
He chuckled sadly. Dobey had been at the hospital as long as he had.  
"How 'bout you, Captain?"

"I'm going home, too --- They told me he's stable now. Come on, Hutch. We're not going to do anyone any good if we go on running on empty. Least of all Dave. Come on --- let's go."

"I, I --- I can't leave him, Cap --- what if ---- I can't --- he shouldn't be alone ---"

"He won't be."

A new voice startled the two men. It was Huggy.  
"You go home and rest up --- I'll stay here with him--- go on."

"But --"

"Look, if you wanna get the guys who did this to him you'd better be in the best shape possible. Go home, Hutch --- Come back later. I'll stay right here with him."

A shrug of tired shoulders. A look in two pairs of compassionate, understanding brown eyes.  
"Thanks, Hug. Captain ----."

"I believe you still have my keys, Hutchinson --- I'll drop you off, go get the car. I'm right behind you."

The blond followed his Captain's orders and left with a tired gait. The large dark man turned to the lean figure who sat down in the chair beside the bed.  
"Thank you, Huggy."

The men exchanged warm, but worried smiles and then Huggy was left alone with his slain friend, surrounded by the steady beeping, whizzing and humming of the machines.

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this series was inspired by a song by Dutch singer Danny Vera (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWe4e0_UmIc), see the lyrics below:
> 
> ROLLER COASTER  
> Danny Vera
> 
> Here we go  
> On this roller coaster life we know  
> With those crazy highs and real deep lows  
> I really don't know why  
> And I will go  
> To the farthest place on earth I know  
> I can travel all the road, you see  
> 'Cause I know you're there with me
> 
> You don't have to slow me down  
> 'Cause I will always be around  
> I will find my way back home  
> Where magnolia grows, where magnolia grows
> 
> But I guess you know  
> Why I do what I do and where I go  
> I try to fill that empty space inside  
> But I can't do that without you  
> You're even with me in my dreams  
> I see a sail, the seven seas  
> I will try to find my way  
> You're always there tomorrow, you're always there tomorrow
> 
> Here we go  
> On this roller coaster life we know  
> With those crazy highs and real deep lows  
> I really don't know why  
> And I will go  
> To the farthest place on earth I know  
> I can travel all the road, you see  
> 'Cause I know you're there with me  
> You don't have to slow me down  
> 'Cause I will always be around  
> I will find my way back home  
> Where magnolia grows, where magnolia grows
> 
> Here we go  
> On this roller coaster life we know  
> With those crazy highs and real deep lows  
> I really don't know why  
> And I will go  
> To the farthest place on earth I know  
> I can travel all the road, you see  
> 'Cause I know you're there with me
> 
> Here we go  
> On this roller coaster life we know  
> I can travel all the road, you see  
> 'Cause I know you're there with me  
> 'Cause I know, oh I know  
> You're there with me
> 
> Songwriters: Danny Polfliet / John J H Verhoeven


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